Reunions
by Aaliyah12345
Summary: As Aaliyah finally reveals what happened to her at Laurel Mountain, Novice Shan is already planning out their next course of action! What will that entail, and who will our heroes meet in "Reunions"?
1. Chapter 1

When last we left Aaliyah, and Gorpi, they were training and sharing stories. Gorpi had just told Aaliyah the sad tale of how she lost her beloved pet, and Aaliyah was just about to reveal a tragic story of her own...

"It was a bright and sunny day at Laurel Plains. My father had just asked me to collect tiger pellets, and I knew when he used that certain tone, I'd better get moving. I made my way through my village. It was a small village to be sure, but it was peaceful, and quiet, and full of friends. We all knew each others names. We all had the same doctor. We all had the same life. I quickly made my way to the area just east of the Green Spring Gully where the tigers normally gather. I was in luck, there was a large grouping of tigers near the small hills where Laurel Road ends. I quietly clung to the edge of the forest, so the tigers wouldn't notice me, and when I looked within the crowd, I spotted a very rare Lavender Tiger. The problem was he spotted me as well. He took off running down the Laurel Road, which in turn caused the entire group to scatter. Two other tigers spotted me as well, but I ignited my fire sword and it scared them off. I quickly made my way down the Laurel Road, but could barely keep up with the beast. I wouldn't stop though. I knew having pelts from that tiger could bring in a lot of gold, not just for my family, but for the entire village. I kept running, past the entrance to the Ancient Laurel Grounds, all the way to Wei's Village. By the time I got there, the tiger was gone. I had to stop and rest, but all of the sudden I had this horrible knot in the middle of my stomach. It didn't hurt, but it didn't feel good either. It was just there. I sat down, and ingested a vitality potion, but the knot wouldn't go away. I started the trek back home, and got all the way to the entrance of the Ancient Laurel Grounds, when I saw them. A strange man, in a large, over sized wheelchair, flanked by two very large, very beautiful fairies. They were not alone however, they were surrounded by a squad of guards, four high level monks, two wizards, and two fairies. I remember thinking to myself, just run, go home and warn everyone, but I had not seen a sight like this before. I could not look away. I was to far to hear what they were saying, but neither side looked happy. And then, suddenly, the man in the wheelchair lunged forward, and roots grew out from the ground, twisted and mutated into spikes. The guards were not prepared, and I'm pretty sure all of them died. I wouldn't know, because at soon as I saw the guards hit the ground I was out of there. I took off as fast as I could go. Back up the Laurel Road, expecting to find some tigers waiting for me, but they were gone. Not a single tiger in sight. Thats when I felt the ground shake. It was a small vibration, but it was coming from the direction of the village. As I ran towards the village it intensified. As I approached I began hearing these crashes and bangs. I quickly made my way to the main street when I saw it. The largest, ugliest creature I had ever seen. It was a giant boar with a cats face, and it had destroyed almost all of my village. I tried to look past it, to see if my house was there, to see..." Aaliyah stops, her eyes welling up with tears. "There was nothing there. Where my house was supposed to be. It was gone. Just a pile of wood and stone. And it was it was at that moment something happened to me. Just like you said earlier, my hands began to radiate light, I felt like light was exploding out of me, shooting into the sky. That's, when..." again Aaliyah stops. This time its Shard who continues.

"Thats when I appeared." she says in an almost angry voice.

"You came to save her?" Onjo asked in an intense voice of his own.

"No, I came to kill them. All of them. The beast. The man in the wheelchair, his fairies. I wanted them all to burn! To pay for what they had done, not just to my family, but to the whole village. I wanted to destroy them, the way they destroyed us. The problem was when I was "born", it attracted the attention of a pair of giant mutated cockroaches, who were also taking part in destroying the village. I blazed a bright fire and prepared to attack when suddenly someone from behind grabbed Aaliyah." Shard said, still very angry.

"It was a guard,"Aaliyah interrupted, " he grabbed my arms and activated a teleportation stone. The next thing I knew we were at the Ancient Grounds. He led me directly to the transport fey, who transported me to the wounded camp. After a few days of rest I realized what had happened with Shard, and well you know the rest."she finishes.

"I'm so sorry Aaliyah," Gorpi said in a sad voice. "Do you know what happened to your family?"

Aaliyah looked down. Almost afraid to even speak the words.

"No, no one knows what happened to the people in the village." She replied sadly.

"Aaliyah, I don't know how much you know about animals, but as a tamer we are taught that they have a mystical connection with the earth."Gorpi said in an intense voice. "I'm starting to think the tiger was maybe sent to you, to protect you from sharing their fate."

"Well the fate I ended up with is not much better. I'm all alone now. Everyone I ever knew or loved is gone."Aaliyah said very sadly.

"As long as I'm here you will never be alone! I promise you, I will be there for you from now on, we're partners until the end okay?" Gorpi said in a slightly sunnier tone.

"Deal partner!"Aaliyah said inspired by Gorpi's kindness.

Not two seconds later Cartaelian appeared.

"Aaliyah, Gorpi, Novice Shan has another quest for you. He wishes to see you at soon as possible." The strange bird creature said.

"Well we better get going, we don't want to keep him waiting."Aaliyah replied.

The trio quickly make their way down the Back Mountain of Green Scarp, and to the Center Square. Novice Shan was standing with Novice Ming, and both were carrying packages. Novice Shan begins to speak.

"I am pleased to inform that your training here has come to an end we would like to award you with these assistant talismans. They are the same as the one you used during training, only these ones are enchanted with powerful blue magic's. They are much stronger and more powerful then the green ones you used during training."

He gives Aaliyah a Longbrow Needle, and a Ice Shield, and he gives Gorpi a Jade Vessel and a Pet Bell.

"Also, my superiors have decided that we must act fast to determine weather or not Master Blood has freed himself, or if someone else has taken possession of him. To that end I must send you to Sky City to speak to Bardo, the Jokul Hunter. He will be able to instruct you further. I fear our time together has come to an end, we will not see each other again for a long time. Please just remember your training and know that all of the world depends on you now. I would like to give you each one more gift before you. These are blue beads. When you arrive at Sky Village, please see the Blacksmith. He will be able to enchant your current Talisman, so they will be more powerful as well. Now go, the faster you reach Sky Village, the better the chances we end this crisis, before it grows...

************************************************************

Well thats it, hope the revelation was worth the wait!!! Next week Aaliyah begin their trek to Sky Village, but they are about to meet a very strange fairy, as well as a group of hungry wolves!!!=)


	2. Chapter 2

Last time we saw Aaliyah and Gorpi they had just been given the quest to meet Bardo the Jokul Hunter at Sky Village. They quickly collect their things from there quarters, pack up all the necessities and are on their way. They begin there trek quietly, Aaliyah had just told a very tragic, very personal story, and both are taking time to reflect on their pasts, as well as their current situations.

Aaliyah is the most worried though. After all the training she has received in the recent past, she now knows that Shard is a part of herself bent on vengeance. She knows that when she killed the Water Eidolon, she killed out of vengeance. She also knows she herself killed the Grime Fairies out of vengeance. What scares her is that its starting to bother her less. Killing out of vengeance. These creatures wanted her dead. They wouldn't show her any compassion, why should she show them any? Her train of though is derailed however, with the appearance of a fairy walking in the opposite direction. Gorpi greets the fairy.

"Hello there!" She says in a cherry voice."Would you mind giving us a vitality buff. We're headed towards Sky Village, and I'm sure you know of the wolf problem."

The fairy looked at her blankly. She was a strange looking fairy, for sure. In a green dress that appeared to be made of leaves. She had pink hair, in two braided ponytails, and strange makeup beneath her eyes, that gave her the appearance that her most used word phrase was probably,"Huh?". The fairy did not respond to Gorpi's greeting. She did however look at Aaliyah

"Zobel!" the fairy said in a cheery voice.

"What?!?" Aaliyah responded.

"Zobel?"The fairy asked.

"No, my names Aaliyah."she responded

"Mowry Istara!"the fairy replied.

"Your names Istara?" Gorpi asked?

"Okay!" Istara answered.

"Well, Istara, how's about that buff?" Gorpi asked.

"Zobel kill!", Istara answered.

"Excuse me?" Gorpi answered while she rolled her eyes.

" Zobel kill!" Istara repeated.

"Okay, well we have to be going see you later Istara!"Aaliyah said ushering Gorpi away from the strange fairy.

"What a weirdo!", Gorpi said in a silly voice."I wonder where the hell shes from? We could have used those buffs though."

"Yeah, I guess we'll have to do without. That was strange though, don't you think?" Aaliyah asked with a laugh.

"It's like Cartaelian says,"Variety is the spice of life.""Gorpi replied.

"It's always food with him isn't it."Aaliyah said with a laugh.

They continued their journey in silence. Gorpi can't remember the last time she laughed so hard. Well she can she just doesn't want to think of it. To think of him. She feels so mad at herself for just walking away from him. Fudjya was just trying to save her. If she just would have waited, she knows they could have formed a search party, and hunted those bandits down, and rescued her monkey. Instead she just ran off and did her own thing. Typical Gorpi, when times get tough, the tough get going. She just wonders if she will ever see him again, and why he didn't come after her? If he loved her as much as she thought he did, why didn't he come looking for her. Her train of thought is derailed by a sudden growling noise. She looks to the east of Aaliyah to find a pack of 8 wolves, all looking directly at them. And they look hungry...

**********************************************

As a way to apologize for Reunions part one being so late I have decided to post part 2 this week also. Next week, will Aaliyah and Gorpi make it past the wolves, and to Sky Village, or has their trek ended as quickly as it started? Find out next week =)


	3. Chapter 3

When last we left Aaliyah and Gorpi, they had just been confronted by a pack of eight, hungry wolves. For the average visitor to Sky Village, this would pose a problem. Thanks to their training though, Aaliyah and Gorpi are more then prepared for this battle. They attack instinctively and in unison. Aaliyah runs to the middle of the pack and unleashes a fire burst, sending the pack scrambling. Aaliyah begins picking off the four who ran to the left with her fire barb attack, while Gorpi takes care of the 4 who ran to the right with her Spiney Crack arrows. The wolves stand no chance, and are quickly defeated. The duo take a moment to rest.

"Well, that was a nice workout." Aaliyah said.

"Yup, and it also means we're almost to Sky Village."Gorpi replied in her usual cheery tone."I just hope the blacksmith will still be open by then time we finish with the Jokul Hunter. I want to see what those Blue Beads do."

"Me too."Aaliyah replied. "I also want to see if they have any battle robes. I like the ones Novice Shan gave me, but they are stained from that nasty swamp."

"That's why us tamers wear clothes made from natural items found in nature. You don't have to worry about spending so much time keeping them clean." Gorpi said.

"Thats kind of gross!"Aaliyah said in a silly tone.

"I know, but what can you do!" Gorpi said with a laugh.

They complete their trek and arrive at the gates of Sky Village. Sky differs from Green Scarp in many ways. It has a main street, many buildings, and shops, as well as it has many different visitors, from the lowest levels, to the highest. The crowd is thick today. There are many shops open in the center square, and tons of people, dueling, chatting, and shopping at the Auctioneer. As Gorpi and Aaliyah enter they turn left and begin walking down the main street.

"Okay, so a few things before we get there." Gorpi said in an almost authoritative tone. "First do not trade with anyone. Even if you think you know them, I've seen enough people tricked into "borrowing" their friends items and not getting them back. If someone has an item they are trying to sell to you that you feel you absolutely must have, make them put up a stall. That way they cannot pull a fast one."

"Sure thing Gorpi." Aaliyah replied. "Hey look the blacksmith is out, they are still open. Hopefully he'll still be there when we're done with the Hunter."

They immediately spot the Jokul Hunter. He stands tall, in a blue jumpsuit, with a headband. He stands out, even amongst this crowd.

"Excuse me, are you Bardo, the Jokul Hunter?"Aaliyah asked in a kind friendly voice.

"Yes, and you are?" Bardo replied.

"I'm Aaliyah, and this is my friend Gorpi. Novice Shan sent us to deliver this package to you."she answers.

She presents the package, and he rudely snatches it out of her hand. She looks up at him with a snotty glare, but he doesn't pay attention. Instead he opens the package and finds two scrolls. He opens one and begins reading, and then tosses it behind him, like it was a piece of garbage. He opens the next one, reads it, and glances up at Gorpi.

"You don't have a pet?" He asks Gorpi.

"No." She replies hesitantly. "Not anymore."

"Well, I am in need of a tamer who possesses a pet. If you do not wish to use a pet then I have no need for you."he replies in an aloof tone.

"Excuse me?"Gorpi says in angered tone.

"If you wish to obtain a pet, I believe I may know a way, but you have obviously decided to act recklessly, and endanger not only your life, but the life of your friend. So I am sure this would hold no interest to you." He said as aloof as ever.

"If this is your way of asking for my help, that's what I came here to do, but I still don't understand why I need a pet."Gorpi replied, still angry as ever.

"All will be revealed to you, but you must come with me." He said as he grabbed her arm."We need some privacy, so your friend can wait here until we return.

"Yes, well, okay, I'll just go to the blacksmith, and get the armor stuff done. I'll be here waiting for you guys."Aaliyah said as Bardo began dragging Gorpi away. Gorpi shoots her a scared glance, but Aaliyah shoots a reassuring one right back at her.

"We're just going to allow him to take her? We do not know this man?"Shard asks in her usual paranoid tone.

"Oh calm down, I'm sure what ever is going on, its all part of Novice Shan's master plan." Aaliyah says as she goes over to the discarded scroll. She bends down, and picks it up. The writing is in some kind of foreign language that she does not understand. She rolls it up and stores it in her lucky bag." Who knows what this is, but I highly doubt Novice Shan would want it left here on the side of the rode."

She begins walking to the blacksmiths shop. This village is a little like hers, but she can tell it is full of strangers. No families live here. She spots the blacksmith's shop, but sees hes not outside. She looks closer and sees the door is cracked open. She looks in and spots a mid level assassin. She goes in and is in a small waiting room, that has a few chairs, and a desk. The assassin looks over at her.

"Oh excuse me, I'm not sure if you guys are still open. I came to see the blacksmith about some armor?"Aaliyah said

"Oh, I don't work here."The Assassin said with a laugh."I'm just here to pick up some custom made armor. My names Fudjya, whats your name?

*****************************************************

What is this mysterious quest that Bardo needs Gorpi to complete? Why is it so important that she has a pet? And what will she think when she returns to find Fudjya? Find out next week =)


	4. Chapter 4

When last we saw Gorpi, she was being dragged away from Sky Village by Bardo the Jokul Hunter, an experienced hunter with little to no patience or manners. Apparently he disapproves of the life style choices Gorpi has made, and is about to tell her all about it...

"Here is far enough."Bardo says as the pair approach the two statues of Gong Ye Huang that guard the entrance to the Black Compo.

"Okay Mr. Grabby Hands, time to tell me what the hell this is all about!" Gorpi said in an angry voice.

"This is about you not living up to your potential." Bardo replied in an unaffected tone.

"Excuse me?" Gorpi asked with an attitude as she swung her neck back and forth.

"What didn't you understand?"He asked like a teacher who knew the student had the wrong answer. "You are not living up to your full potential and you know it. Do not lie to me the way you lie to yourself. It is time to let go of your silly sorrows and move on with your life."

"No, it's time for you to mind your own damn business." Gorpi said as she burned holes through his head with her fiery glare.

"Enough of this! I did not bring you here to argue with you. I have a very specific task that needs to be accomplished. If you cannot do this I am sure I can find a real tamer capable of doing so." Bardo said as he exchanged her fiery glare with an icy one.

"Well get on with it then. The sooner I finish here, the sooner I'm finished with you." Gorpi replied still angry as ever.

"This area has been plagued with disappearances. Not hunters or people, but snakes." he said almost sadly.

"Snakes? You brought me here to investigate the disappearance of snakes?"She asked in a snotty tone.

"Yes snakes. They are being used to defend a place of power near the old Serene Village. There is a group of Snake Captors who come here every three or four days. They round up all the most powerful snakes, and take them back to their cave, killing anyone who stood against them." He replied sadly.

"Okay so I go and kill the squad of Snake Captors. I still don't understand what this has to do with me having a pet?" Gorpi asked, her anger decreasing.

"You will have to tame one of the Snake Captors, so that later on in the future we will be able to infiltrate their cave, and eventually destroy it."he replied.

'Well piece of cake. I can handle that." Gorpi said almost returning to her normal cheery tone.

Meanwhile back at Sky Village, Aaliyah has just met an incredibly attractive Assassin at the Black Smiths shop. Little does she know that this Assassin is really Gorpi's ex-boyfriend Fudjya. She has heard of him, and about what happened between him, and Gorpi, but she has never heard his name before. Or what he looks like. But that is a story for a different day. Today, Fudjya has just introduced himself, and asked for her name in return...

"My name is Aaliyah. I'm sorry if I am intruding..." she begins to say.

"Not at all!"He says with a grin. "I have not been in the presence of such beauty in a long time now. I welcome it."

Aaliyah blushes, but Shard is less affected.

"Uggghhhh. Lets come back when its less crowded." She said in a irritated tone.

"Hush." Aaliyah replied. "Don't you think hes cute?"

"With a line like that he's nothing but trouble and you know it, now lets get out of here before we regret it."Shard responds.

"Nonsense!" Aaliyah says with a laugh. "We spent so much time training and being responsible, it's time for fun."

"So Fudjya, where are you from?" she asks in a coy tone.

"I'm originally from Loo's Village, but my father was in the Elite guild, so we moved around a lot. I like to think of everywhere as home. I've really been to every corner of this land of ours, yet I still have to find the woman who matches your rare beauty."He said in a happy yet seductive tone.

"Oh yeah right!" Shard said still annoyed over Aaliyah's decision to waste time on this playboy.

"I've been to Green Scarp." Aaliyah says only because she had nothing better to say.

"Oh smooth line sister."Shard said."Why not tell him about the time we went to Sky Village? Oh yeah thats right. Were here now."

Aaliyah ignores Shard.

"Is that so?" Fudjya asked "I actually have a few friends from there. Do you know Novice Shan or Iron Arms Lee?"

"What?" Shard asked. "Oh this is bull. Shan sent him here for us, I am sure of it."

"Oh stop being paranoid and loosen up. Its a small world after all isn't it." Aaliyah responded.

"As a matter of fact, Novice Shan is the one who sent me here. I'm here to work for Bardo the Jokul Hunter."She says in a flirty tone.

"Well if it isn't a small world after all."Fudjya said with a laugh.

"I told you." Aaliyah told Shard.

"That's who I'm here working for." he said. "I'm actually here as part of my quest. I had to pick up some armor from the blacksmith before I go."

Almost as if on cue the Blacksmith emerges from his back room.

"They are all finished, it will be eight gold for the curiass, and five gold for the boots." The Blacksmith said.

"No problem, here you go." Fudjya said as he handed the Blacksmith a bag of gold. " I really must get going. I hope to see you again soon. Maybe later tonight, I know a great place to get some food right here in town.

"Okay, I don't really know how long I'll be waiting for my friend, but I really look forward to seeing you again." Aaliyah answered, as excited in her face as she is in her voice.

"Okay well say around 18:00?" Fudjya asked.

"You can count on it! I'll see you then!" She replied as he left the store.

Back to the Gorpi at the Black Campo. She has been following this squad for fifteen minutes now. She feels she has learned their hunting patterns, and is waiting for the group to split up. She has eyed the perfect candidate for Bardo's plan. A large, strong Snake Captor, with a spiked club in his hand. He seems to be the strongest, as well as the most attractive of the bunch. Her moment has finally come and the group of four split up, each going in a different direction. Her prey has gone west, so she waits a few moments, and follows. She sees him hunting the lower snakes easily. He has good instincts, when it comes to fighting, and hunting. He will make a good pet. If she can still possess him. Well she knows she can, she just doesn't know if she wants to. What if she grows to care for him, the same way she did Jarold. What if the same thing happens to him, or something worse? She stows these thoughts, and begins the task at hand.

"Okay, here goes." She thinks to herself

"Come on Gorpi, you can do it!" Onjo said.

She takes out her Pet Bell, and begins ringing it. The Snake Captor is immediately surrounded by mystical lights. He turns and begins moving towards her.

"It's working!" Onjo said in an encouraging tone. "See I knew you could do it!"

The Snake Captor is now just a few feet away. She bends down to return her Pet Bell to her Lucky Bag, and fails to notice that her spell did not work properly, and the Snake Captor has now raised his club into the air, and is about to bash her head in with it...

***********************************************

Will Gorpi survive this attack, and accomplish this task? If she does how will she react when she returns to find Fudjya? Find out next week!!!


	5. Chapter 5

When last we saw Gorpi, she had just failed in her attempt to possess a Snake Captor, who now stands above her, preparing to bash her head in with his club. Although Gorpi may appear to be alone she is not. Gorpi is a special individual, who posses a unique soul infused bow. A bow that contains a part of her very soul. A part that has taken on a life of it's own, and it calls itself Onjo. More specifically, he was created to protect Gorpi. So when he screams her name out in her mind, she knows what has taken place. She rings her pet bell again before the Snake Captor can react.

"Now get him!" Onjo screams.

She reaches out with her mind. It is a feeling she still is not used to. She can see, and feel herself leaving her own body, as she enters the snakes brain. Whats different this time is she is not alone. Onjo is still with her. They are surprised by many things, first of which is the landscape. She has entered the minds of many creatures before, yet she has never encountered a place like this before. She stands in a large swamp, similar to the one they just left, yet much more beautiful. What surprises Gorpi most is the amount of detail, to the smallest mosquito, to the crocodiles in the water, this place even has it's very own distinct smell.

"What is this place?" a voice from behind her says.

She is startled by this. While she has gone into the mind of many creatures, she has never encountered another being within them. She quickly turns to find a very large man covered from head to toe in armor.

"Who are you?"Gorpi said in a startled voice.

"Gorpi, its me. Onjo." he replied.

"How is this possible? How did get that body?" she asked

"I've always had it. This is kind of what its like for me inside the bow, and I guess from now on, where you go I go. Now where the hell did we go?" he asked with a laugh.

"We're inside the snakes mind. Something is not right here though. This snake should not have an astral plain like this, it has a lower level of consciousness then we do." Gorpi said as she tried to explain in a way he would understand. "We have to find it and find out how this happened."

As she completes her sentence, a bright light begins flashing at the duo from a cave to the west.

"I think we're supposed to go there." Onjo said

"Looks like it." Gorpi replied.

They make their way to the cave, it is just as detailed and cold as the rest of the swamp. They make their way through the first set of tunnels, and come into a large chamber. In the middle of the chamber is a small cage, containing the snake captor, guarded by what appeared to be four identical versions of the Snake Captor, but in a strange almost shadow form.

"We have to free him. Good thing I decided to keep my bow with me instead of having Aaliyah take it to the blacksmith." Gorpi takes aim at the Snake Captor shades, and fires away her Spiney Crack attack. The problem is the arrows shoot right through her intended targets, and hit the real Snake Captor.

"No!" she screams.

Onjo goes charging over to the cage. Two shades confront him, and he charges right through them, shattering the shades like broken glass. The other two attack, but they are no more a match for Onjo then the first two were. He goes next to the cave and grabs unto the bars, bending them apart far enough for the snake captor to escape. Yet the snake Captor does not move, instead he recoils in the corner. Gorpi approaches the cage.

"Stand back let me through." she said in an authoritative tone.

:Careful, he's in the corner, and mad by the looks of it. If you like I can knock him out for you."Onjo said

"No!", Gorpi said in a loud tone. " If he is harmed here, he will be harmed physically too. Let me handle this."

She begins her healing spell. She waves her arms in the air and the Snake Captor is immediately surrounded by small beads of light. He looks up at her, and begins exiting the cage. As he does Gorpi stand back and puts her head down to avoid eye contact. She offers her hand out for inspection. The snake captor goes over to Gorpi, smells her hand, and puts his head down.

"There it's done." Gorpi said as all three are instantly surrounded by a bright white light. They are back outside in the real world again. Well all except Onjo of course. He has returned to his very own Astral Plain within Gorpi's bow.

"Do you think we can trust him, that he wont try to attack us again? Onjo said.

"We can trust him, hes with us now. What worries me is that someone, or something imprisoned that Snake Captor inside his own mind, and someone who posses that kind of power must be dangerous. Come on lets get back to Sky, and tell Bardo about this." Gorpi said as she began running back to Sky Village.

And speaking of Sky Village, when last we saw Aaliyah, she had just met a potential new beau, at Sky Villages Blacksmith shop. After he left, the Blacksmith began asking her what she needed.

"Well, sir first I need to have the blue beads added to my Talisman. I was also wondering if you had any new wizard robes in stock?" Aaliyah asked.

"I have two in stock, a Red Fire robe, and a Blue Jade robe, both are blue id'd. Ten gold for the fire, twenty for the jade." he replied.

"Oh, I am sorry, I do not believe I can afford these robes."Aaliyah replied sadly.

"I had assumed the gentleman was paying. He left me Forty gold above what I was asking." the Blacksmith replied.

"Well, I guess I like him more then I thought." Shard said in a unusually happy tone.

"We cannot accept this, we just met him." Aaliyah answered.

"Oh come on. You we're all ready to go to dinner with him, why not take this. It's a gift."shard said persuasively.

"We'll I guess it's okay." Aaliyah said to Shard. "I'll take the Blue Jade robes." she said to the Blacksmith.

"No problem, would you like them soul infused?" he asked.

"Soul Infused?" Aliyah asked in shock.

"Yes. The Aesthetic Fuhu can impart a portion of his mystical powers into your equipment, enhancing any enchantments, and making that piece of equipment bound to you." the Blacksmith explained.

"Guess he doesn't know what hes talking about." Aaliyah told Shard with a laugh. "Okay go ahead and soul infuse it. I'm going to grab some lunch, I'm so hungry." she told the Blacksmith.

"You will have to leave your talisman behind." the Blacksmith said.

"Wait you can't leave me here." Shard said as Aaliyah put her talisman on the counter.

"Well I wont be really, you'll still be here inside with me. At least I think. If anything, this is as good a place as any to find out."Aaliyah responded.

"Okay, I should be done with these within the hour, so don't go to far." the Blacksmith said.

"I wont. I should be back before the hour. See you in a little bit." she said as she exited the shop.

She begins walking down the main strip, and look for the restaurant she saw coming in, but all she can think of is Fudjya. That is until she is interrupted by a voice from behind her.

"Aaliyah! Aaliyah, is that you?"

***********************************************************

Who trapped the Snake Captor in his own mind? And who has just recognized Aaliyah? Keep reading to find out next week in Reunions part 6!!! = )


	6. Chapter 6

When last we saw Aaliyah, she was just leaving the Blacksmith's shop at sky Village, when suddenly a voice from behind called out to her. It is a voice she has heard before, but a voice she has not heard in a long time.

"Aaliyah?!? Aaliyah is that you?!?", the voice said in a monotonous tone.

Aaliyah turned to see the owner of the voice, and could not believe here eyes. Standing there was a fairy, with long light purple hair, wearing a slightly revealing dress, that had a choker collar, and and a pleaded skirt.

"Erana?" Aaliyah said overjoyed. She ran over to her and gave her a gigantic hug. Erana was stiff as bored, and did not even hug her back, but Aaliyah was used to this. "What are you doing here?" I... I thought you were dead!"

"Dead? Who is she?" Shard asked in her usual paranoid tone.

"She's my friend from childhood. We grew up together at Laurel. Her mother was my first master, well everyone's first master." Aaliyah answered.

"I thought the same about you. I had just been recruited by the Elite guild, and I was sent to Stone City for training when the disaster took place." Erana said in nonchalant tone.

"What about your mom? Is she okay?" Aaliyah questioned.

"I do not know. She was still living at the village when it was destroyed, so I doubt she escaped." Erana answered in a cold unemotional tone.

"Well, she doesn't sound too upset for someone who just lost their mother." Shard said with a hint of anger in her tone.

"Hush, not everyone grieves the same way. People need to deal with their losses in their own ways." Aaliyah told Shard. "Well, I am so happy I found you here Erana. It has been so long since I have seen someone from home. What brings you here?"

"I have actually come to recruit for my guild. Well, and I was going to tell my father about what happened. I figured he should know, but I do not believe that is such a good idea after all." Erana said, finally showing a little emotion.

"I do not think I have ever met your father before." Aaliyah said, a little concerned over Erana's show of emotion.

"My... parents separated shortly after my sister was born. My relationship with my father is... tense to say the least." Erana answered.

"Erana, I am sorry about your mother. She was very special to all of us in the village." Aaliyah said sadly.

"Well, since I am here recruiting maybe you would like to join my guild?" Erana asked abruptly changing the subject, as she returned to her cold icy demeanor.

But Aaliyah's response must wait until a later time, because last time we saw Gorpi, she had just tamed a Snake Captor in the Black Campo of Sky Village. She rushes, back to Sky Village expecting to find Bardo, the Jokul Hunter, in front of his shop. To her surprise, she instead finds...

"Fudjya!" Gorpi says almost tearfully. " He came for me! He finally came for me!" she thinks to herself.

Fudjya turns and looks at Gorpi like he had just seen the devil.

"What the hell are you doing here?" He says in a flash of anger. "I thought you'd be out looking for Jarold. Looks like you got over him pretty fast I see." he says looking at Gorpi's new pet.

"Why are you here? What do you want from me?" she asked, half angry, half heart broken.

" I am not here for you so get over yourself. I am here working for Bardo." He replied.

"Son of a ..." Onjo begins to say but is interrupted by Gorpi.

" Bull. That's why I'm here." She said

" Really? So you must know Aaliyah then?

"How does he know her name?" she thinks to herself before speaking again. " What do you know about Aaliyah?"

"I know we have a date planned for tonight. Other then that not much, but I'm sure I'll find out more in time." he said with a devious smirk on his face.

"Bastard!" Onjo screamed in Gorpi's head. " Screw him, lets find Aaliyah, and ditch this loser."

"Okay then how's about we do this. "Gorpi said holding back her tears as hard as she can. "If your so set on Aaliyah, you can have her. Just pretend we never met, that we don't even know each other."

"That's stupid, why would I do that?" he responded, his smirk widening.

"Because Aaliyah has been through a lot in her life. She has been hurt, and has lost a lot. I do not want to add to that. We just act like we don't know each other, which shouldn't be hard, since you obviously hate me so much. We'll finish up the work Bardo needs, you two can go live happily ever after, and I can move on with my life. Simple as that." Gorpi finished.

Little does Gorpi know, matters of the heart are very rarely, ever simple.

***********************************************************

Will Fudjya agree to these terms? And will Aaliyah agree to join the Elite Guild? To be continued..... NOW!!! =) Since I have such enthusiastic competition in the players articles page lately, I have decided to post the last 3 parts of the story all today, so see you in part 7 of Reunions =)


	7. Chapter 7

When last we left Gorpi, she had just confronted the former love of her life Fudjya, and believes she has come to an understanding regarding his potential relationship with Aaliyah, but what she does not realize, is that love is not an easy thing to understand...

"Gorpi..., I don't hate you..." he tries to say feeling guilty over what he had said earlier.

"Save it, the only thing I want from you is to forget I ever existed. Do we agree?" she says secretly hoping, praying that he will say no. Those prayers will not be answered this day.

"Fine! Whatever you want! Now lets just get this over with. Where the hell is Bardo anyways? He asks giving into his anger and impatience. And as if on cue Bardo appears from inside the shop.

"If you wanted to find me you could have just knocked on my door. You do not need to scream vulgarities until I come outside." Bardo said with his usual cranky tone. " I see your quest was a success Gorpi?"

"It was, but something fishy was going on. Someone or something trapped the Snake Captors consciousness inside his own plane of thought." Gorpi said happy to change the subject. " Also something else is strange about this Snake Captor. When I attempted to possess him, I was actually sent to the Astral Plane."

"How can that be? An animal does not posses those kind of mental capabilities." Bardo questioned.

"Thats what I thought, but none the less, there I was, in the middle of a swamp. It even smelled like a swamp." Gorpi answered. "When I was first putting things together, I thought it was an effect of the imprisonment, but when I thought about it, he was being held prisoner inside a cave. So it stands to reason the cave was there before the imprisonment. As if he went there to hide, and whoever imprisoned him was hunting him."

"We are reading to much into this. I have suspected for sometime now that there were higher forces at work inside that cave, and I believe now is the time to discover just what they are." Bardo said forcefully.

Meanwhile, on the other side of Sky Village, Aaliyah was having a reunion of her own, with an old friend from her village named Erana. Erana had just asked Aaliyah if she would like to join her guild.

"Well, I don't know. What does being in a guild entitle?" Aaliyah asked innocently.

"Well most importantly protection. In these troubled time, you should never journey somewhere alone. Being in a guild ensures you will have someone there for you." Erana explained.

"Well sounds good to me. How do I sign up?" Aaliyah asked.

"You don't just sign up," Erana replied " First I must evaluate your capabilities to determine if you are strong enough to join us. We are not called the Elite guild for nothing you know."

"Okay, I am here working for Bardo the Jokul Hunter." Aaliyah said excited at the notion of joining a guild. "I'm sure he'll send us on some kind of mission to some sort of cave or something. Why don't you come along? I'm here with another friend named Gorpi, maybe she can join also. I actually should go and see if shes returned yet."

"Okay, lets go then." Erana replied.

They quickly make their way west, and to Bardo's store front, where Gorpi, her pet Snake Captor, Fudjya, and Bardo are all gathered.

"Gorpi, is that your pet?" Aaliyah asked immediately upon seeing the Snake Captor. The Captor goes over to Aaliyah and begins circling her, smelling the air around her. He makes a face like a smile, and moves back behind Gorpi. "What was he doing?"

"I don't know, I just got him. Haven't seen him do that before." Gorpi replied.

" He was probably overcome by your beauty, and had to get a better look." Fudjya said with a smile. Aaliyah looks down and blushes, so she cannot see when Gorpi shoots him a nasty look. Erana does however, but says nothing. Aaliyah looks up again.

"This is Erana. She's one of my friends from back home. Erana I'd like you to meet Fudjya, Gorpi, and Bardo. Erana is with the Elite Guild, and is looking for potential recruits. So I thought maybe she can come with us on whatever adventure we're about to go on." Aaliyah said with a laugh.

"She may come you will need a fairy for where your going." Bardo replied.

"What's going on?" Aaliyah asked.

"What's going on is you will accompany your friends here to the Snake Cave to destroy whatever is inside." Bardo answered.

"Are you asking us or telling us?" Erana asked in a nasty tone. The rest of the group is caught in a dead cold silence.

"I do not have to explain myself to you Fairy. You guys have two hours to complete your business with the Blacksmith, and to prepare for you mission. Then you must leave. If you do not like that Fairy, then feel free to stay behind." Bardo said sternly. Erana shoots Bardo an intense dirty look, but Bardo is unaffected.

"Well, we better get to it then." Aaliyah said in an attempt to break the tension in the air. The quartet quickly makes their way to the Blacksmiths shop to drop off Gorpi's talisman.

"I have your robes ready, I hope they are to your liking." The Blacksmith says to Aaliyah.

"Thank you we also have a few more orders if you don't mind. Gorpi here needs to use the Blue Beads on her talisman as well." Aaliyah says with a smile.

"No problem Miss, I just started on your's I believe I can squeeze in hers as well." he replied kindly. Gorpi places her bow on the counter, and the Blacksmith hands Aaliyah her robes.

" Is there a place I can change into these?" She asks

"Right this way." he answers. She follows him into the back room and emerges a few moments later in the white, and purple robes.

"You look beautiful, as a matter of fact so beautiful, I'd like to take you out for some dinner right now while we still have time. You two don't mind waiting here til we get back do you Gorpi?" Fudjya said with a wide smile.

"No, not at all." Gorpi said with a wide smile of her own.

"Well, at least you guys will get a chance to know each other a little better." Aaliyah says as Fudjya begins rushing her out the door. She pops her head back in before it closes. " Don't worry I'll tell you guys all about it."she says in a loud whisper as the door closes.

The pair make their way back to the other side of Sky Village where Erana and Aaliyah were just speaking. The go inside the restaurant sit down and order food. Aaliyah is very shy, and Fudjya notices this. She speaks first.

"I wanted to thank you for paying for the stuff at the Blacksmith's shop. You didn't have to do that.

"It was my pleasure." he said as he gazed deeply into her eyes. She looks down again to avoid eye contact.

"I haven't met many Assassins before. What is it like?" she asks in a coy tone.

"I can tell your a little shy, but don't be." he says in a quiet gentle tone. " I have to be up front and honest with you", he begins to say, but hesitates, unsure of whether or not to tell the truth about Gorpi. "I truly believe there is something special inside of you, and the more time I spend with you, the more I see it, and the more sure I am that I never want to be apart from you."

She reaches her head across the table and kisses him passionately...

*************************************************************

What is inside the Snake Cave that can be controlling the animals? Will our hero's make it to the Snake Cave, or will an uninvited guest stop them in their tracks. Find out in part 8 =)


	8. Chapter 8

When last we saw Gorpi, and Erana, they had been left behind at the Blacksmiths shop by Aaliyah, and Fudjya. The two had just meet, and haven't even said hello to one another.

"So... what brings you to Sky Village?" Gorpi said, trying to come up with a way to take her mind off of Fudjya.

"I am here recruiting for the Elite Guild. Aaliyah said you may be interested." Erana replied.

"Oh, I don't really know what I'll be doing after we finish up here. You and Aaliyah seem like you know each other well." Gorpi responded.

"We grew up together as children. I noticed it appears you and that assassin know each other also." Erana stated.

"Who Fudjya?" Gorpi asked, playing dumb. " No we just met. I don't like the way he looks at Aaliyah, he seems like a playboy to me."

" And what business is it of yours how he looks at her?" Erana asked in her cold icy tone.

Gorpi was flustered, part of her was speechless, and the other part wanted to slap Erana in the face. Before Gorpi could reply, the Blacksmith appeared from the back room.

"We're all set here." he said as he presented Onjo, and Shard to Gorpi. They were all clean, and shiny, and she could feel a different vibration to them.

"How much do I owe you?" Gorpi asked

"That Assassin fella already paid for everything." he replied.

"Fudjya? When?" Gorpi asked.

"When he was here earlier with your wizard friend." he answered. As if on cue the door opened and Aaliyah and Fudjya entered the shop.

"How was dinner?" Gorpi asked with a fake smile.

"It was wonderful. How are things here?" Aaliyah responded.

"We're all set I believe. Here's your sword." Gorpi said as she handed Aaliyah the sword.

"Your pets acting weird outside, I think he misses you. And we should be getting back to Bardo, I'm pretty sure the two hours is almost up."Aaliyah said

The quartet moves quickly to Bardo storefront. He is waiting outside as usual. He is holding a basket containing four teleportation stones, as well as a small package wrapped in a brown paper bag. As they arrive he passes out teleportation stones to each member of the group.

"These teleportation stones are set to the wounded camp near the old Serene Village. Please give this package to the apothecary there. He will give you a map that will lead you to the Snake Cave. Whatever happens, the master of the cave must be defeated, and the creatures inside must be destroyed. Now please activate your stones. Report to me any findings once you have completed this task."

The quartet does as they are told. They tap their teleportation stones, and are instantly transported to the wounded camp. Aaliyah has not been here in some time. She looks around, and cannot remember any of these faces. They are either all new, or she just didn't care to remember what the people here looked like. She goes to the apothecary, someone she does recognize, and the pair exchange pleasantries, as well as the package, and the map. She buys some additional mana potions, and the quartet is on their way. The make their way through the Old Serene village ,and Aaliyah cannot help but think of her own village. She makes a sad face, and both Fudjya and Gorpi notice. But as Gorpi moves in to cheer Aaliyah up, Fudjya gets there first. He grabs onto her hand.

"Want to keep you close to me, who knows what kind of dangers are lurking around here." he says with a smile, as Aaliyah once again blushes and looks down.

"Oh buzz off lover boy." Shard says to Aaliyah, but Aaliyah ignores hers.

Suddenly, the quartet hears a scream coming from the direction of the snake cave. They run forward to find Istara, surrounded by a group of Snake Heads.

"Aaliyah look, its that weird fairy, she's surrounded." Gorpi yells. She then recalls her Snake captor, deciding now is not a good time to test his loyalties. Fudjya, using his Speedy Shoe's Swift Move enchantment, runs right into the frey. First he stuns the creatures with his Dragon Cry attack, then begins using his Thunder Slow attack with his Sky Thunder Chain Scimitar. Erana heals Fudjya, while Aaliyah and Gorpi shoot from afar, using their Fire Strike and Spiney Crack attacks. The mob is quickly defeated. Aaliyah runs over to Istara.

"What are you doing here? Are you okay?" she asks while Erana begins healing the frantic fairy.

"Zobel Kill! Zobel Kill!" Istara says repeatedly.

"What does Zobel mean?" Fudjya asks.

"We don't know, it's all she says." Gorpi answers.

"Well we cant leave her here. She will be safer if she stays with us. Besides, two fairies in a team is better then one, don't you guys think." Aaliyah said.

"Okay, I just hope she doesn't get us into any trouble." Gorpi says.

Aaliyah unfolds the map and the team begins moving west towards the entrance of the cave. As they approach the entrance, the group witnesses a large group of men gathered around, wandering aimlessly. Upon further examination, the team saw that these were not ordinary men but...

"Cacodaemons!" Fudjya said.

"You know what they are?"Aaliyah asked.

"They are the bodies of the people from the Serene Village. I heard about them. About how the Ghost Wind Tao has reanimated their corpses, to use as soldiers." Fudjya said, but just as he finished his sentence Istara screamed.

"Zobel Kill!" she cried. " Zobel Kill! Zobel Kill!" She runs into the middle of the group and uses her White Lotus attack on one. Erana begins healing her while Fudjya speeds to her rescue. One of the Cacodaemon slashes his face, forcing Erana to turn her attention to Fudjya.

"Istara get back and help me heal." Erana yelled out, but Istara wouldn't listen. She would just repeat her strange mantra.

Aaliyah runs in and executes a Fire Burst attack, sending the mob running in all directions. Gorpi quickly picks off the ones running towards her, then runs to Fudjya's side.

"Are you okay?" she asks, but before he can answer Istara begins screaming again.

"Zobel Kill! Zobel Kill!" she says, more frantic then ever.

"Oh shut the hell up up!" Erana yells as she grabs onto Istara's arm. "I'm taking her back to the wounded camp. She's to much of a problem. I have a tiger in my Lucky Bag, so I can get back fastest. You guys wait inside the cave entrance for me. We do not want to attract anymore unwanted attention." She says as she practically drags Istara away. The rest of the group complies with her wishes. Aaliyah feels bad for the fairy, but knows Erana is right. As they walk Istara continues ranting.

" Zobel Kill! Zobel Kill! Zobel Kill!" Istara says over and over. She then spots a group of Snake Captors, and begins screaming again."Zobel Kill!, Zobel Kill," she screams as she tries to lurch away from Erana, but Erana gripes her tighter. Istara throws Erana to the ground.

"Zobel Kill!" shes says again looking deeply into Erana's eyes.

Erana gets up off the ground runs over to Istara, and slaps her in the face. Istara cringes in pain, but Erana grabs her chin digging her nails into Istara's skin.

"Zobel Kill!" Istara says one final time.

"No my dear Istara, this time Erana Kill!" Erana replies with a dark sinister smile...

***************************************************************************

What happens to Istara? Is Erana joking or does she truly intend to kill Istara? And what will the rest of the group find inside the Snake Cave? Find out in Secrets and Lies part 1, which will be posted in 3 weeks from now! But first, in 2 weeks, we will be presenting Prelude 2 of Tales of the Talisman, entitled Iron Arms, and Erana. Until then, if you have anymore questions, or comments, or want to show your support, please email me at . =)


	9. Prelude 2 Iron Arms and Erana

Many years ago, a family of three lived in Stone City. Iron Arms Lee, the father, was a well respected Wizard with a high level position within the Wizards Junta. The mother, Illyana, was a retired fairy, who taught and instructed the local children in the use of their talisman. Erana is their first daughter. At the age of five she had already learned they ways of the fairy Junta. Yet she idolized her father, and his wizardry. She walked like him ,talked like him, and against her mothers protests, she ate like him. She wanted to be a wizard like him ,but her mother persuaded her into becoming a fairy. She told her that the fairies are the most important addition to any group and party. It is their responsibility to care for and heal the rest of the team members. Erana went along with her mothers wishes, as she always had. She was happy with her life.

That all changed one day, when she noticed that her mothers stomach was larger then it was the week before.

"Mommy, why is your tummy getting so big? Are you eating to much?" Erana asked innocently.

"No honey, theres a baby inside there!" Illyana said excitedly.

"You ate a baby?" Erana asked with a look of horror on her face.

"No honey, well, its complicated. You know how when we plant a seed in the ground, and wait for it, soon a flower appears?" She asked Erana, trying to avoid the topic she dreaded speaking about. " Well thats kind of what happened with me and the baby."

"You ate a flower seed, and grew a baby?" Erana questioned.

"Well... yes honey, mommy ate a flower seed and grew a baby." Illyana said with a smile.

"Your goofy mommy." Erana said with a laugh. "So when will this baby be here?"

"Soon honey, almost a month. That means you are going to be a big sister! Are you excited?" Illyana asked.

"No!" Erana said in her bratty voice. " I don't want to be a sister. I like things the way they are. I don't want a baby."

"Honey, why not?" Illyana said showing concern.

"Cause I'm daddy's girl." Erana said as if it were a matter of fact. "I don't want some other baby coming and taking him away. Sorry mommy, you have to take that seed out. Or something."

"Well, I'm sorry honey but it's to late for that. I should have told you sooner, but you are just going to have to get used to it." Illyana replied.

As the day's passed, Erana became more and more distanced from her father. She stopped walking like him, and talking like him. She still ate like him , she figured why punish herself. Iron Arm's noticed this of course, but figured it was just more of what Illyana had told him about. He sat Erana down.

"Listen my little deer, I have noticed you are unhappy with the new baby coming." Irons Arms said looking into his daughters eyes.

"Yeah, I hate the new baby. Tell mommy she shouldn't eat flower seeds anymore without asking us first!" Erana said in a short burst of anger.

"Uhhmm, okay!" He replied, unsure of what Erana was talking about. " Little deer, I want you to know that no matter what you do you will be part of this family, and you will always be my little girl. I want you to come and see the baby at soon as it is born, so when it comes into this world it will see all of us as a family. We will all welcome her into this world together."

"I'm your little girl, and your little deer?" Erana asked distracted from the main message.

"Yes honey your that cute!" he said with a smile. " Just please trust me when I say you will love the baby as much as we love you. I promise."

"I'll try daddy, but if she makes me mad, we have to kick her out of the house okay?" Erana said with a strange look in her eye.

No honey, we are not going to kick her out. Just trust me okay. You still trust your old dad don't you?" He said with a serious look on his face.

"Fine" she replied in a quiet tone.

And so just three days later the time came. In just three hours, Elana Lee was born. As they waited, Iron Arms paced very impatiently in the waiting room. Erana had never seen her father so frantic.

" Daddy sit down, why are you being so goofy?" She asked.

"Well, I hate waiting like this. I wish it was over already." He answered with an impatient tone to his voice. As if on cue, the Doula appeared from the back room.

"They are ready to see you now." she said in a happy voice.

As they entered the room it was dimly lit. Erana stayed right behind her father as they approached the bed, clutching to his robes. He reached out for Elana, took her in his arms, and looked deep into her eyes. He was over come with waves of pure joy. The sheer innocence in her gaze overtook him. Light began radiating out of him, shooting straight into the sky. A voice in his head boomed.

" I will love you forever, you are the greatest and most important thing I have ever created!"

He knew what this was. He had been around long enough to know he had soul infused, out of love, and joy, and happiness. The problem was that he was not the only one who had heard this voice. Erana had also. She had no idea what this voice was, or how it was in her head, but all she heard was fer fathers voice, saying these things. It over took her as it did him, but where he experienced joy, she experienced fear, and most importantly jealousy. She took off running out of the room and the house. She ran down Flower Alley, took a left, and ran straight through the Center Square, and outside of the city to Mushroom Village. She sat in the small field below a cliff, crying. All of the sudden she heard a voice from behind.

"Aww the poor babies crying. I'll give you something to cry about!"

An hour later Iron Arms finally noticed his daughter was no longer clutching at his robe. He looked behind him and she wasn't there either. He gave Elana to Illyana, and looked around the rest of the house. She was no where to be found. He opened the door in a rage slamming it behind him as he took off into the streets. He ran into the square, pushing past people, and knocking over stalls.

"Erana!" He screamed over and over.

It was another hour before he found her, on the stairs leading to the Belvedere. She was in a fetal position, shaking, and twitching, as pale as a ghost.

"Erana, Erana are you all right?" He asked horrified, but she didn't answer. He picked her up and carried her home.

Weeks later Erana started walking and talking again. She would not say what happened to her, but the household returned to a resemblance of normalcy. She even returned to school. Yet she never smiled again. Her mother was very worried and concerned and sought out the wisdom of Madame Golden Whisk. The Madame decided that maybe giving Erana some pets bunnies would help wake her from her depression, and get her to open up about what happened to her. So the next day Illyana bought three little girl bunnies, and placed them in Erana's room before Erana returned from school. As Erana entered she had the same somber look on her face as she had had since the incident.

"Hi honey how was school?" Illyana asked with a smile.

"Fine." Erana replied with an attitude.

"What did you do today?" Illyana asked

"Nothing." Erana responded as she gasped and rolled her eyes.

"Well okay, you can go do homework in your room then. I will call you out when its time for dinner." Illyana stated.

"Okay." Erana said as she walked to her room.

As Illyana prepared dinner, she excitedly prepared a special snack for the bunnies, once she set the table and finished dinner she called Erana out. Erana came skipping out of her room, with a giant smile from ear to ear.

"It worked, oh shes smiling again." Illyana thought to herself, as she held back her tears of joy.

" Sit at the table, I have to take care of an errand real fast, don't start without me." Illyana said with a smile.

"Okay mom, it smells really good in here." Erana replied with an even bigger smile.

Illyana grabbed the tray of lettuce and carrots for the bunnies and took them back into Erana's room. She opened the door walked into the room and looked into the the box that contained the bunnies. She screamed at the top of her lungs, and dropped the tray. Inside the box, the three bunnies lied twisted and contorted, their necks snapped. All three lying motionless.... dead...

*********************************************************************

Pretty twisted huh? And it looks like poor Istara doesn't stand much of a chance against Erana does it? Well if you want to find out what happened to Istara, and what is going to happen to Aaliyah, Fudjya, and Gorpi, please read part 1 of Secrets and Lies, which will be posted sometime this week. Which means I will be trying to post multiple parts of Secrets and Lies per week. Also this is not a self contained story. If you wish to read the story from the beginning please go to the Players Articles section of the Talisman Online website. There you can find "Aaliyah Arrives at Green Scarp" which is the beginning of the story. Thanks for reading, and please come back for part 1 of of Secrets and Lies!=)


End file.
